A company in Manchester has decided to give all of its staff the day off on Friday to show how much it “appreciates” them.
As this Friday (3 March) is Employee Appreciation Day, Sellick Partnership – a recruitment company with a base right here in Manchester city centre – has made the, presumably pretty popular, decision to give its all its staff across the UK an extra day off to properly mark the annual holiday.
Founded in 2002, Sellick Partnership has seven offices across the UK and employs over 100 people.
The company specialises in recruitment services in the finance and accountancy, legal, HR, housing and property services, actuarial, procurement, change and transformation, ICT and digital technology, wealth and investment management, and senior and executive sectors.
It was named as one of the best places to work in the UK last year – and if it’s handing out free days off, then perhaps it’s not that hard to see why, right?
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Next Friday is #EmployeeAppreciationDay and in line with our tradition of giving back, we will be giving every member of staff the full day off. We are grateful to everyone that works at Sellick Partnership not just on Employee Appreciation Day, but every day! pic.twitter.com/5qxkHRx3us
In previous years, the business has allowed its employees to finish early and enjoy a free lunch on them, but this year, the firm has decided to take things one step further to show how much staff are appreciated by giving them an extra day off, not included in their annual leave allowance.
“We are dedicated to creating an environment that enables each individual to thrive,” said managing director Jo Sellick told the MEN.
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“The secret to the success of Sellick Partnership is the people that we employ.
“We want all staff to come into the office in the morning and enjoy their time at work, as that’s what it’s all about, so we try to create a platform that will make a difference to the lives of our people and in turn we hope this will help many more, by providing a tailored and compassionate approach to recruitment.
Manchester company to give all staff the day off on Friday to show ‘appreciation’ / Credit: Sellick Partnership
Sellick Partnership explained that any staff member already off on annual leave this Friday will be able to cancel their holiday request, and part-time members of staff who use Fridays as a non-work day will be given permission to take the time back on another day in March.
“The effort and dedication from all our staff doesn’t go unrecognised,” Jo Sellick added.
“This is just another way we can say we are truly thankful.”
Featured Image – Sellick Partnership
Business
Manchester Airport releases statement after customer data stolen in ‘targeted’ cyber security attack
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has released a formal statement after data was stolen from 8.7 million customers in a ‘targeted’ cyber security attack yesterday.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – which operates Manchester Airport, Stansted, and East Midlands Airport – said the cyber security incident happened at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday 27 August), and that the data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.
The data that was stolen related to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport WiFi sign-ups, MAG stated.
It was initially confirmed that the system the hackers accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details, however, and that all other regular airport operations and customer parking continued uninterrupted.
Manchester Airport has now released a formal statement to reassure customers that they are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’.
The statement reads: “Manchester Airport Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party.
“A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities, and at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”
MAG insisted that the incident had not resulted in any ‘operational disruption’, adding: “Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.
“Neither MAG nor the system accessed hold customers’ bank or payment details. The data that has been accessed includes customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.
“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused.”
Featured Image – MAG
Business
Workers at major Manchester city centre hotel to strike this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Workers at one of the most prominent hotels in Manchester city centre are set to strike this bank holiday weekend.
Workers at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its bar venue The Refuge, who are members of the union Unite, will take 24 hours of strike action on Saturday (29 August) in what is said to be a ‘long-running dispute’ over union busting.
The strike day chosen by the workers is the second day of this year’s Manchester Village Pride, and is historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer.
This is because Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the Pride Parade route, and for several years has been a very popular location for people attending the festival, and even runs a number of Pride events itself.
Unite says that for months now, workers at the Kimpton Clocktower – which is owned by InterContinental Hotels Group UK (IHG) – have been asking for formal union recognition to improve conditions after raising several issues with management, but IHG UK has refused this and instead ‘targeted’ the union for its actions.
Workers at a major Manchester city centre hotel are set to strike this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Rebecca Hope Photography (Supplied)
Previous strikes have already taken place this summer, apparently causing ‘financial hits’ to the business in the process – with the bar being forced to close early at several events as there were not enough staff to cover them.
“A strike on Kimpton’s most profitable day is entirely of its own making,” commented Unite regional officer, Alison Treacher. “Throughout this dispute, Kimpton Clocktower management have treated its loyal workforce with contempt and our members have shown they will not stand for it.
“There is still time to avoid this highly disruptive strike action, but that relies on IHG changing tack by listening to its members and giving them the union recognition they have long been calling for.”
This dispute is said to be the first ever hospitality strike in the North West.
Unite is currently running a petition demanding that IHG UK stop targeting union activists, recognise the Kimpton workers rights to have their grievance heard collectively, and support their union recognition campaign.
Emily Sergeant -
1st March 2023 
